History of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Crepitus is a sound-word – like crash or splash
Crepitus is one of those words I don’t think I used before being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (like discrepancy). Crepitus is a general term for noise in the body like the grating, popping, or cracking sounds produced by joints or supporting tissues or the crunching sound in...Continue reading56 Comments »Read more

Counting how many people have Rheumatoid Arthritis (UPDATED)
Do we know for sure actually how many people have rheumatoid arthritis? How many are being treated for RA in the U.S.? Or how likely a person is to be diagnosed with RA in his or her lifetime?
Not really. Apparently, it’s a slippery target.
In 2009, Gabriel and Michaud indicated that “a...Continue reading12 Comments »Read more

A week ago Eric shared his dilemma and asked readers to share opinions concerning the treatment of his wife Kim’s Rheumatoid Disease. He provided the summary of issues he had given their rheumatologist, background about her symptoms, and a summary of the doctor’s response. He then listed questions he invited readers to answer. I have...Continue reading34 Comments »Read more

At a meeting of Rheumatoid patients, we heard one describe how her spouse is leaving her as a result of her Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis. Everyone in the room gasped as she recounted how her husband told her that he did not want to be her caretaker. However, I’ve read many sad letters with similar stories....Continue reading77 Comments »Read more

Three years ago today, I typed my first blog post in my back yard on a whim. My daughter had started to blog – what’s to worry about – just do it! Before that, I’d been working on ideas for months. I did have a goal: to build a website where RA patients could find...Continue reading44 Comments »Read more

Once upon a time, aspirin was the daily therapy of choice for Rheumatoid Arthritis. What happened to aspirin’s role with RA? Were claims justified that the new NSAIDs were less toxic than aspirin, diminishing its role?
Aspirin largely replaced by newer NSAIDs
People turned from aspirin to NSAIDs because they believed NSAIDs to be safer, but one study...Continue reading16 Comments »Read more

Most webpages about Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) will tell you that you can reduce your risk for heart disease by eating healthy and reducing lipid levels. That’s seems instinctive for people to believe. However, evidence does not support it.
Do lipids matter with Rheumatoid heart disease?
The famous Red Dress Campaign for heart disease awareness in women lists...Continue reading20 Comments »Read more

Rosalind Russell (Roz) may have been the most glamorous and famous woman to have Rheumatoid Arthritis. However, she shared three qualities with many others living with RA: She was determined, hopeful, and private.
One of the most illustrious celebrities to live with Rheumatoid Arthritis was Rosalind Russell.
Rosalind Russell (1907-1976) had an exceptional life, performing on Broadway...Continue reading22 Comments »Read more

Part of me would like to back down. But this pain won’t let me. Is it ironic that I encounter the most cruel RA pain in years at the same time I encounter this argument again about RA pain, catastrophizing, and depression?
Relating pain, catastrophizing, and depression to RA
Ironically, an article called “Pain, catastrophizing, and...Continue reading44 Comments »Read more

Hypochondria is an elephant in the room with RA pain
The elephant house was always my favorite place at the zoo. We always knew when we were near it …by the smell.
So, how can an elephant creep into a room? They don’t exactly tip-toe. Maybe what happens is that nice people don’t discuss certain things, so no...Continue reading31 Comments »Read more

Inconsistency bothers me. When I’m interviewed, I answer that I wanted to build this website because there is so much “wrong” information about Rheumatoid Arthritis. Too many common generalizations are actually incorrect. Truth about RA can be hard to find. Maybe this is an explanation in part.
I read something amazing today on The Scientist: Evidence:...Continue reading24 Comments »Read more

Once in a while, a question is posted about the “Marshall protocol” or the “antibiotic protocol” for treating Rheumatoid Arthritis. I’ve been told by a couple of people that this is the Rheumatoid Arthritis “cure” if only it would get enough attention. There are those who forcefully promote antibiotic treatment for RA. At times, I’ve...Continue reading50 Comments »Read more

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